Sweet and Lowdown
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
Comedy
Drama
Music
6.8
551 reviewsRuntime: 95 min.
Budget: $29,750,000
Revenue: $4,525,794
Release Date: 1999-12-03
Director(s): Woody Allen
Production: Sweetland Films, Jean Doumanian Productions, Magnolia Productions
Languages: English
IMDB: tt0158371
Where to Watch
Stream: 
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Amazon Prime VideoAmazon Prime Video with AdsRent: 
Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Amazon VideoGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At HomeBuy: Amazon Video
Apple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At Home
Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At HomeData from JustWatch
Trailers
Cast
More Like This
Recommendations
Reviews
CinemaSerf★ 6/105/8/2024
Presented in a documentary style, this drama looks at the life of the fictional jazz guitarist "Emmet Ray" (Sean Penn). Now, of course, he is American so is naturally the best in the whole wide world, well second best actually, and that is testified to by frequent obsequious pieces-to-camera from purported experts and then by his own performances as he plays standards from the likes of Django Reinhardt, the masterful Stéphane Grapelli and Duke Ellington. Director Woody Allen has a penchant for this style of music, and as faux-homages go this isn't at all bad. That's really thanks to a strong contribution from Sean Penn as the frankly pretty odious character who's selfishness was probably only eclipsed by his increasing obsession with the shy mute "Hattie" (a gorgeous effort from Samantha Morton) who comes to depend on him, but might he actually come to depend on her too - despite himself? It's a great looking film with plenty of attention to detail, and it does work well at illustrating just how important it is for people to have decent anchors in their lives. The dialogue is all a bit too relentless for me with very little time to come up for air as this rattles along but it's all genuinely and uncomfortably plausible at times, too. Pity about the constant hyperbole, though - how can anyone be the best guitarist? Hmmm?